Premier League, former United star Almiron coming to Atlanta

ATLANTA - The English Premier League will come to Atlanta this summer featuring back-to-back matches including the return of a former Atlanta United star.

The Premier League announced Tuesday its first-ever pre-season tournament in the United States will take place this July, with six clubs traveling to take part in matches and events in five major East Coast cities including a double header at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium on July 26.

The Premier League will stage a double header at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Wednesday, July 26. The first match will feature Brentford FC v Brighton & Hove Albion FC, slated for a 5:30 p.m. kickoff, followed by the return of former Atlanta United star Miguel Almiron as Chelsea FC faces Newcastle FC, scheduled for an 8:15 p.m. kickoff.

Almiron joined Newcastle after leading Atlanta United to the MLS Cup in 2018. 

The effort to bring Premier League matches to Atlanta for the first time ever, is led by the Atlanta Sports Council, Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau, AMB Sports & Entertainment and the City of Atlanta.

Atlanta Falcons PSL holders and Atlanta United season ticket members will receive an email soon on their presale opportunity. Tickets for all matches in the Summer Series will be available via a Premier League pre-sale on Tuesday, April 25 and go on sale to the general public on Wednesday, April 26.  Fans can register their interest now via www.premierleague.com/SummerSeries and can also register to hear more about supporting events in their area, as well as general news updates.

The clubs confirmed to feature in the Premier League Summer Series are Aston Villa, Brentford, Brighton & Hove Albion, Chelsea, Fulham and Newcastle United. They will compete in a total of nine matches between July 22 and July 30 at stadiums in Atlanta, Harrison, NJ, Orlando, Philadelphia and Landover, MD.

This is the first time the League has hosted a pre-season tournament in the USA, giving US-based fans the opportunity to watch a world-class line-up of Premier League players and managers in action. The tournament will comprise high-profile matches and pre-season training camps and will be supported by a range of events for fans and local community groups.

The Premier League Summer Series is part of the League’s ongoing commitment to its US-based fans. In addition to the tournament, the League will work closely with a range of grassroots and community organizations in each host city to create a program of community and youth soccer initiatives. 

The tournament builds on the success of the eight Premier League Mornings Live fan festival events the Premier League and its broadcast partner NBC Sports have hosted in multiple US cities since 2018. These events have seen more than 60,000 fans attend live match screenings in iconic locations, coming together to share their passion for the competition. This is in addition to the millions of viewers who watch week in, week out on television in the USA. 

Premier League Chief Executive Richard Masters said: "We are delighted to be bringing six clubs to the USA in July for the first-ever Premier League Summer Series.

"Our clubs have incredible supporters in the US, who passionately follow their teams throughout the season. We have seen this dedication first-hand from the tens of thousands who have attended our Mornings Live fan events and are excited to be building on this by bringing live Premier League action to five cities this summer.

"We are currently enjoying one of the most competitive Premier League seasons of all time at both ends of the table, and I am sure we will see some thrilling matches during the tournament."

The Premier League’s long-standing broadcast partner NBC Sports will be the host broadcaster across the networks of NBCUniversal and Peacock for the Summer Series with the Premier League’s international licensees broadcasting the event around the world in up to 188 countries.

The Premier League has previously hosted pre-season matches via the Premier League Asia Trophy. This biennial tournament launched in 2003, with nine editions taking place in China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.

Atlanta Sports Council president Dan Corso said: "We are thrilled to bring four of the world’s premier soccer clubs to compete in Atlanta as part of this very special event.

"We believe our city is the country’s top destination to hold international sporting events and look forward to continuing to work with our partners locally and with the English Premier League to create a remarkable experience for all involved. In addition, this event fits in nicely with our city’s continued preparation to host the FIFA World Cup 2026 and will provide tremendous exposure with the matches being broadcast in 880 million homes and 180 countries."

Atlanta United President and CEO Garth Lagerwey said: "We’re really excited for Mercedes-Benz Stadium and the City of Atlanta to be chosen to host this event.

"As an organization, we see this as another step in Atlanta becoming a premier destination for the biggest club and international competitions that our sport has to offer. This will be a great opportunity to showcase our world-class stadium to a new audience, and like many fans in our region, we’re looking forward to hosting these teams and other top competitions in the future."

Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau President and CEO William Pate said: "Atlanta is widely known for hosting world-class sporting events, and we are thrilled to welcome several of the English Premier League’s top clubs to our city

"These matches will draw new visitors to Atlanta, and we look forward to showcasing all that our city has to offer."

AMB Sports + Entertainment President Tim Zulawski said: "We are honored to have the opportunity to host the first Premier League match in the City of Atlanta’s history.

"The vision for Mercedes-Benz Stadium is to attract the world’s largest events and offer quality entertainment for not only the citizens of Atlanta, but the entire southeastern U.S. We look forward to welcoming a new soccer fan base to Mercedes-Benz Stadium for these two matches."

Premier League Summer Series 2023 schedule (all kick-off times local)

Saturday, July 22 @ Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia

Match 1: Chelsea FC v Brighton & Hove Albion FC (7 p.m.)

Sunday, July 23 @ Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia

Match 2: Fulham FC vs Brentford FC (4 p.m.)

Match 3: Newcastle United FC v Aston Villa FC (7p.m.)

Wednesday, July 26 @ Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta

Match 4: Brentford FC v Brighton & Hove Albion FC (5:30 p.m.)

Match 5: Chelsea FC v Newcastle United FC (8:15 p.m.)

Wednesday, July 26 @ Exploria Stadium, Orlando

Match 6: Fulham FC v Aston Villa FC (7 p.m.)

Friday, July 28 @ Red Bull Arena, New Jersey

Match 7: Brighton & Hove Albion FC v Newcastle United FC (7:30p.m.)

Sunday, July 30 @ FedEx Field, Landover, Maryland

Match 8: Aston Villa FC v Brentford FC (12:00 p.m.)

Match 9: Chelsea FC v Fulham FC (2:45 p.m.)

For all the latest tournament and ticket information visit www.premierleague.com/SummerSeries

Fans can follow the build-up via Premier League and PL in USA channels on social media, and use #PLSummerSeries to get involved.